I’ve had the opportunity to log several hours now into No Man’s Sky. There’s been a lot of drama regarding this game, with people expecting a multiplayer experience similar to Elite Dangerous with the trapping of a massive procedural generated universe. However, it’s clear that it is simply not the case. I did not go into this game expecting such a multiplayer experience so I was not disillusioned as many entitled people appear to have been. This game, boiled down to its essentials, is a game about exploration. The isolation of being in a gargantuan galaxy full of undiscovered creatures and places is apparent in the lack of player interaction and lends to the atmosphere of really being out there in the vastness of space. Although space is vast, you as a player will ultimately find yourself exploring the multitude of planets at the surface level, hunting for new resources, crafting, exploring, and finding new creatures and flora. So if you’re interested in relaxing and enjoying the journey rather than the destination, this is the game for you. There is even a bit of lore that can be uncovered through your interactions in game so it’s not completely aimless. Sometimes you need to just sit back, relax, and explore for a while. Not everything needs a cookie cutter objective for you to follow, leading from plot point to plot point. Meander, saunter, leap-frog, whatever. Just get out and explore for a while. Anyway, enough intro; here are a couple tips I picked up from playing.

Remove your attachments on your multi-tool before trading for a new one so you have more of the resources to craft the mods that you had previously.

Mods don’t transfer on new ships or tools.

Don’t idle on a planet. Your life support module drains over time.

Upgrade and use your scanner often. It will help you find nearby resources.

Learn the alien languages. It will help you understand the alien’s requests and you can get good upgrades from it.

Upload your way points as you find them. Your journal only shows the latest 6 and you want the sweet credit rewards!

Parking on a landing pad will allow you to sell goods on your ship to the terminal.

Collect the green trading resources. You can find large columns and egg shaped boulders which to mine for credits.

Use those credits to upgrade your exo-suit for more inventory slots.

Explore by foot. Yes your ship can get you there faster, but you can’t see all the smaller objects on the ground from the air.

Keep stacks of plutonium. They are useful for charging your multi-tool, your ship launch thrusters, and even your life support system.

On PC hit X to change your weapon’s mode. Useful if you picked up a new multi-tool with a weapon attachment. Use this to switch back to your mining beam.

Search crashed ships. You might want to trade up to it if it has one slot more. Be sure to transfer your cargo over first.

Weapons like the grenade can destroy terrain. Useful to make temporary shelter or break your way out of a cave.

Use caves for shelter. You can even use a giant mineral column as cover. Just drill a hole into the side and hop in.

You can scan plants and geological structures for credits as well!

Do the Atlas quest-line in order to unlock the Atlas Pass V1 which will allow you to open boxes and rooms with more valuable goods.

Blow up the doors to the abandoned manufacturing plants to locate blueprints for advanced crafting.